Kendal's Local Exchange and Trading Scheme.

Kendal LETS - as seen on TV!

(Well in Finland anyway)

Kendal LETS were recently visited by a Finnish film crew making a documentary about new community networks and support in mainly rural areas. At short notice we managed to hastily arrange quite a few interesting trades for them to film and they went away very happy. We are the only British scheme featured and make our TV world premiere sometime in March. We have been promised a video should provide the entertainment for a social!

Winter Social inc. AGM

SAT 5th FEB 6 - 10pm
Shakespeare Centre, Highgate.
(through yard next to the Shakespeare Pub)

It's time to come and have your say on how the scheme is going! Whether you think the steering group are doing a good or bad job, want to know more or have some great ideas to improve trading come along and let us know.

It's not all business though! The evening will be mixed with a social - please bring food to share (and acoustic instruments if you feel like it).

6.00 - arrive (promptly please!)
6.30 - AGM
7.30 - Jacobs Join food & drink
8.15 - Join in drumming session by Tenterhooks
8.30 - Steve's Lucky Dip and Trading Exchange
8.45 - Slides of Antarctica
9.00 - Chat, make music, polish off the food.
10.00 - End

Please bring food to share. Tea and coffee will be provided. If you have any items for the AGM agenda or wish to elect yourself or someone else to the steering group ring or email 015. See you there.

014 makes a statement!

Everyone will have received with this mailing their new look Lets statement for the last 6 months. I am pleased to report a smooth transition into the next century with the change over from manual to computerised system - no more struggling with my handwritten scraps of paper! It should reduce the time spent on accounts enormously and that will mean lower subs for all members, so can't be bad! I have suffered untold insecurities in letting go of what I can actually see (index cards) and trusting this box into which things seem to just vanish and then reappear when my mentor tells me how to find them! I am very grateful to the man who has done this for us and hopeful it will have some spin-off for him. He designed the programme to suit our system in Kendal Lets but Letslink UK and all the London based Lets have expressed huge interest in having him help them also.

We also now have the photocopier which is again reducing the largest cost to members, that of the mailings. Since October the copier has earned 37.5 kents and £22.50 which is very encouraging. Obviously, the more members who use it the lower subs. will be. This is really the first time Admin. has been able to earn kents in its own right other than by subscription charges, so use it if you can (equivalent of 5p per copy, £/k). As you know, the annual subscription charge is added on at 31/12 each year for each member (1k per month). We had thought to leave it at that for this year and look at a reduction next year when we calculate how much actual running costs have reduced. However, we had around 800k surplus this year so the steering group have decided to use it in the following way:- to clear the balance on the start-up account of 250k (this was original set-up costs which would have been unfair to spread across the 21 members at the beginning, so we decided to hold it until there was a surplus in the admin. account) to give a credit of 4k to each active member who has paid a full 12k sub. this year and a proportional credit to those who have paid less (because they joined part way through the year) so that no member pays more than 8k. We hope you all feel happy with those decisions - there will be opportunity to talk about this and all other aspects of the scheme at the AGM so hope we'll see you there.

If you feel there are any mistakes or omissions on your account please let me know and I'll be happy to do what I can to sort it out. Don't forget, kents transactions can come to me via the 2 postboxes in town, by mail direct or by telephone or even email now!

Gardener's Get Together

Sun 27th Feb, 2-4pm, 112 is organising another seed & seedling swap. Please bring your organic veg, herb & plant seeds (unusual or ordinary). If you can't come, but want to trade, phone with details of wants or bring offers prior to the day. This is planned to be a regular seasonal event, through to summer produce trading. No need to be a fanatical gardener! House plants also traded and/or come and find out more. Ring with any queries, or for directions.

www.kendal-lets.freeserve.co.uk

Since the launch of our web site at the end of October, we have had over 150 visits. More revealing is the fact that over half of our active members have browsed the site at least once. We have had visits from Finland (the TV crew) and even Japan!

However, the site is there for the use of our Kendal LETS community and the following is a short report on the current features and uses.

Web sites are divided into a number of pages.

There is always an index page (often called the home page). Ours contains a brief description of LETS for visitors who don't know what it is, a scrolling banner with forthcoming dates, a visitor counter and links to our other pages.

About us, is a series of pages containing information on the operation of the scheme. There is a membership form, tax information, benefits information, frequently asked questions (and answers), a description of the scheme workings and a trading guide.

Directory listings. The sites prime purpose was to provide a between main directories directory. There is now a copy of the main directories on the site.

Cheques. If you have a printer and can't wait for more - print your own.

Add an Item. Fill in this form, press the button and you entry will be added to the directory page.

Remove an item. Sold it or no longer in the market? Have your entry removed from the directory.

News. A copy of the newsletter.

Tools list. A reminder that there is a tools for hire list and who to get it from. The list isn't published on the site for security reasons.

Adverts. If a directory entry isn't enough for your needs, then you can consider an advert. This costs 5 kents / hour for the time taken to get it on the site. Contact the webmaster for details.

With the web making a part of our community open to the world, security is an issue. We have adopted the policy that no members name or details are to be published (except in private adverts if they wish). All references are via membership number.

If you don't have internet access. Ring 058 to add a directory entry or advert. If you would like to browse the site then consult your directory for those offering access. Savings in admin (such as cheque printing) benefit all members.